On 5 July 2026 Saudi Arabia and Kenya signed an agreement regulating the recruitment of domestic workers. It is recent, which means much of the information circulating still describes the previous framework.
This guide covers what is known today with sources, what is still being implemented, and what to insist on before signing anything.
What Musaned is and why it matters
Musaned is the official platform of the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development for processing domestic worker recruitment. Contracts, visas, payments and complaints are all handled through it.
The practical consequence is direct: all legitimate domestic recruitment goes through Musaned. If an agency offers you a route that bypasses it, that is a warning sign, not a shortcut.
The domestic worker visa fee is unified at 2,000 Saudi riyals, plus an electronic processing fee, and the employer pays it, not the worker.
What changed in 2026: electronic salary payment
This is the change with the most practical effect, and it is recent.
From 1 January 2026, all domestic worker salaries must be paid electronically through Musaned and the wage protection system.
It sounds administrative, but it is the most useful protection to reach this corridor in years: cash payment leaves no trace and turns any non-payment claim into one person's word against another's. A registered electronic payment creates a record of both what was paid and what was not.
Check in minutes whether you can practice in your destination country.
Kafala: what changed and what did not
Precision matters here, because there is considerable confusion circulating and the distinction matters for anyone going into care work.
In June 2025 Saudi Arabia announced reforms removing central elements of the kafala system for around 13 million migrant workers: the exit permit in its previous form was scrapped, and sponsorship transfer without employer consent at contract end was permitted.
However, sources agree that domestic workers remain largely outside the general Labour Law, which is where those protections sit.
Put plainly: it cannot be said that kafala has ended for caregivers and domestic workers. This sector remains under a different regime, and anyone telling you otherwise is simplifying something that affects you directly.
The July 2026 Kenya-Saudi agreement
The agreement was signed on 5 July 2026 to regulate recruitment of Kenyan domestic workers. Kenya is one of the highest-volume corridors into the Gulf, and the agreement follows years of documented concern about working conditions.
The honest position is to say where it stands: signed and being implemented. There is not yet public evidence of settled operations or of specific fee schedules applying consistently. If you are leaving in the coming months, the practical framework is likely still being adjusted.
The process
Stage 1 — Verifying your certificates
If you hold care training, confirm it appears in the issuing institution's register. The Verifier Agent contacts the centre directly and returns documented confirmation, typically in 5 to 15 days.
Arriving with verification done separates you from the noise in a corridor where employers have seen forged documents before.
Stage 2 — Contract registered in Musaned
This is the step you cannot skip. The contract must be registered in Musaned, specifying salary, hours, rest day and duties. Ask for a copy and keep it before travelling.
Stage 3 — Certification and attestation
Documents require attestation to have effect in Saudi Arabia. The agency usually handles it, but checking that it is done properly is your responsibility.
Stage 4 — Medical examination and visa
Medical examination at an approved centre and visa processing through Musaned.
Salaries: what can and cannot be stated
Bilateral agreements set salary bands per corridor. The specific figures circulating on agency blogs do not come from official Saudi sources, so treat them as third-party estimates.
What can be said: a bilaterally agreed salary is a reference framework, not an individual guarantee. What you will earn is what your Musaned-registered contract says. That is the figure that matters.
Documented risks and what to insist on
This corridor has abuses documented by human rights organisations: document retention, non-payment, excessive hours. Saying so is not alarmism; it is information you need in order to decide.
What to insist on before leaving Kenya:
- A Musaned-registered contract, with a copy in your possession
- Salary, hours and weekly rest day in writing
- A licensed agency, verifiable with the competent Kenyan authority
- No placement fees charged to you. The employer pays them
- Digital copies of all your documents, stored where you can reach them
- Contact details for the Kenyan embassy in Riyadh, saved before you travel
Where Booka fits
Booka does not handle visas, does not place workers, and does not replace your embassy or a labour lawyer. We do the verification layer: confirming with the issuing institution that your certificates are genuine and leaving documented proof. The outcome of any immigration procedure always depends on the receiving country.
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